


The Great Mom-Swap

by SilverAmoebasquid



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Happy birthday today to Yuuji and happy birthday by the end of this to Kenjirou too!!, M/M, Post-Canon, TeruShira, There's barely even angst of any sort its just. so sweet., They're too good for this world..., This is really just headcanons in narrative form, Ugh, eviscerate me, i just love them okay, literally just fluff for days, mild mild mild warnings for brief mentions of sex and divorce but literally barely at all, so much life stress allllll blown out of range by fluffy terushiras, this was so relaxing to write you have no idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-20 11:51:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 19,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10662006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverAmoebasquid/pseuds/SilverAmoebasquid
Summary: All good things must come to an end, as must the high school careers of Terushima Yuuji and Shirabu Kenjirou. However, that doesn't mean either of them intends to let the other out of their sight. Except for maybe a few days before they finally move in together.





	1. Together

“Alright, I’ve got the greatest idea I think I’ve ever had!”

Kenjirou exhaled slowly and leaned back on the swingset, the cracked plastic seat creaking. Yuuji with ideas was never a good thing.

Yuuji didn’t seem to register Kenjirou’s worry and happily dug his feet into the wood chips under the playground. “So I was thinking the last couple days before we move into our new apartment, we should stay at each other’s houses!”

Kenjirou raised an eyebrow. “We pretty much live at each other’s houses already, especially since school got out.”

“That’s the thing, though.” Yuuji had a glint in his eye that made Kenjirou nervous. “We’ll go to each other’s houses _without each other_.”

The wind whistling through the trees was the only sound for a solid minute.

Kenjirou finally cleared his throat. “Pardon?”

Yuuji grabbed the chain of Kenjirou’s swing. “Wouldn’t that be cool? We have to live with each other’s families for a while! It’d be a great bonding experience since it’ll be a little weird for our families once we move out.”

“Do you really want to subject yourself to dealing with my parents by yourself.”

Yuuji stood on his knees on his wobbly swing, holding onto Kenjirou’s arm for support. “Oh, hush, your parents love me.”

“Yeah, but... All by yourself for several days? Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Kenjirou, shhh, it’ll be fun. We can still hang out during the day, it’ll just be funny because we’ll just go home to the wrong house at night!!”

Kenjirou wasn’t sure. He didn’t really want to do that. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to sleep without me?” Kenjirou teased, displacing his thoughts onto Yuuji.

Yuuji shrugged. “It’ll probably be fine. I just think it would be a fun thing to do! What do you say!?” He leaned toward Kenjirou’s swing, placing his other hand over Kenjirou’s face for “stability,” now barely sitting on his own swing.

“Fine, I’ll do it. I still think it’s dumb, but whatever. Now get off my face.”

Yuuji grinned and promptly tumbled off his swing, pulling Kenjirou to the ground with him.

Kenjirou landed flat on his back on the ground and choked trying to get his breath back.

Yuuji was just laughing and grabbed ahold of Kenjirou’s hand. “I can’t _wait_! This is going to be so much fun!”

Kenjirou smiled slightly, in spite of the fact that he was laying on the ground, dirty, and about to have to spend a few days with Yuuji’s mother alone. If Yuuji was this excited about it, Kenjirou wasn’t going to say no.

 

**Ao3 is acting up for me right now and glitching out when I try to put notes (???), I'm going to troubleshoot in the morning but for right now author notes are going right here.

And thus, the mom-swap begins! Yes, this chap is super short but they get a little longer. This isn't a super huge thing; it was mostly just stress-relief for me. I actually started this back in February, then dropped it, then came back at the beginning of April because I REALIZED HOW CUTE IT WAS AND WHAT THE HECK I CAN'T JUST STOP WRITING SUCH A BEAUTIFUL THING. But yeah, this was really relaxing for me to write so I hope it is relaxing to read as well!!

I'll be posting a chapter of this every day from today (Yuuji's birthday) until Kenjirou's birthday because yes, I did coordinate that like a nerd. I want to write something specifically birthday-esque for them, but we'll see what school allows me time for for the next few weeks >o<

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!~


	2. Yuuji

Yuuji bounced through the front door, trying not to grin too obviously as he kicked his shoes off and shut the door quietly.

“Hello?” he called out.

A short, pleasant-featured woman with long, blonde hair stepped out of the office on the first floor. “Yuuji!”

“Hey, Shiramom,” Yuuji grinned, stooping just slightly to hug the shorter woman. “How are you?”

She smiled. “I’m well, how are you?”

“Pretty good! Hey, you used to collect butterflies, right?”

She frowned and tilted her head. “As a girl, yes. Why?”

Yuuji pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up his camera roll, selecting the first image of a small blue and gray butterfly. “I found this little guy this morning and I was wondering if you knew what he was!”

Kenjirou’s mother took the phone and looked at the picture, grinning. “Oh, he’s beautiful, Yuuji! Where did you find him?”

“In a bush by a store. He seemed pretty happy there!”

The two spent a bit of time sifting through a book and some internet articles until they successfully identified the little insect.

“Awesome! This is great! Thank you for your help!”

Kenjirou’s mother smiled bashfully. “I probably wasn’t necessary, but thank you.”

Yuuji leaned against the wall. “Are you cool if I crash here?”

“Go right ahead!”

“Sweet! Can I help you make dinner? It’s getting late. Unless you weren’t going to make anything since it’s a casual night with nothing going on.”

“Oh, nonsense! You’re here! That makes it a special night! I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to cook with you anyway since that probably won’t happen much anymore...”

Yuuji put his arm around the woman and kissed her cheek. “Hey, we’re just moving across town, I’ll come cook with you whenever you want. Just say the word.”

Kenjirou’s mother looked delighted and pushed Yuuji into the kitchen, pulling a recipe book down from a cabinet. She flipped a few pages, then paused and looked back over at Yuuji.

“Yes?” Yuuji asked, smirking slightly, having been waiting for this question to come up.

“When is Kenjirou going to be joining us?”

Yuuji laughed out loud. “We wanted to play a little joke before moving out. He’s going to stay at my house for a few nights and I’ll stay here. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

A smile slowly spread across Kenjirou’s mother’s face and she chuckled. “I’m okay with it, of course. You two are so silly... So Kenjirou is with your mother right now?”

Yuuji nodded. “I almost feel bad for him...”


	3. Kenjirou

Kenjirou heaved a sigh as he let himself into the Terushima household, then shoved his key back into his pocket. He had walked with Yuuji over to the Shirabu residence to drop him off there before coming over here, so it was already getting late in the afternoon. The smell of something hot and savory wafted from the kitchen and Kenjirou walked further in quickly.

Yuuji’s mom was humming and standing over the stove, facing away from the entryway, so she probably hadn’t noticed him.

Kenjirou knocked on the counter lightly and the woman whirled around. Her warm brown eyes alighted on Kenjirou and she broke into a wide grin, dashing away from the kitchen to throw her arms around him. Kenjirou accepted the embrace warmly. She was a great hugger. He wondered if hugging skills were hereditary. Either way, he was a believer. Kenjirou thought about it even after the hug ended. The woman wasn’t plump per se, but more just... soft. Yuuji was solidly built, but Kenjirou always felt the sensation of melting when he was wrapped in a warm embrace. Maybe the softness was part of it. He’d have to do more research on hereditary hugging skills later.

“Is Yuuji with you?” The woman asked, leading Kenjirou into the kitchen.

Kenjirou pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down in it backwards. “Uh, about that. Yuuji thought it would be funny if we swapped houses for a couple days before we actually move out, just for fun. So as long as you’re alright with it, I’ll be staying here for a few nights and Yuuji’s at my house...”

Yuuji mother just laughed and returned to the pot over the stove. “I’d love to have you for a few days, Kenjirou! Here, I’m making soup for dinner, taste this!”

A wooden spoon was promptly shoved into Kenjirou’s mouth and he brought a hand up under his chin to catch what dribbled down.

“What do you think?” Yuuji’s mom blinked at him inquisitively.

Kenjirou thought for a second. “If Yuuji were here, he’d tell you to use more... oregano.”

“That’s it! Good catch!”

Kenjirou rested his chin on the back of the chair. He really didn’t know a whole lot about cooking, but Yuuji was a star in the kitchen and slowly but surely, Kenjirou had been learning bits and pieces. He could usually remember tastes pretty well, so Yuuji often utilized him for figuring out how to improve dishes when they cooked together at one of their respective houses.

“Were you making dinner anyway, not knowing if we were going to end up here or not?” Kenjirou asked, finding it slightly off that he should walk into a near-empty house to a full meal being prepared.

Yuuji’s mother shrugged. “I would’ve eaten it leftover tomorrow if I didn’t have any other mouths to feed tonight.”

“You’re allowed to call one of us to ask what the plan is... Yuuji isn’t always great at letting people know what’s going on in that off-the-wall mind of his.”

The woman chuckled. “Not your fault, Kenjirou. I know how he is. And I’d rather have food already on the way to ready when you arrive, should you guys decide to come here for the night. Just like this.”

Kenjirou wasn’t sure that was the most efficient policy, but he did appreciate it.


	4. Yuuji

The garage door was heard opening just as Yuuji set the lasagna he and Kenjirou’s mother had prepared down on the table.

Yuuji waved as the tall man entered the house. He was a half a head taller than Yuuji and bore a stern gaze 95% of the time, but Yuuji knew he wasn’t all that intimidating under the surface. He just had a lot of determination and Yuuji saw that come out in Kenjirou when he got particularly fired up about certain things.

Kenjirou’s father embraced his wife and shook Yuuji’s hand firmly.

“Hi!” Yuuji started. “I hope it’s okay with you; I’m going to stay here for a few nights and Kenjirou is with my mom. We’re swapping families! Just for fun!”

The man smiled slightly and Yuuji’s heart skipped a beat. It was exactly the same as Kenjirou’s half-smile that appeared when he thought something was funny but didn’t want to give Yuuji the satisfaction of laughing.

Yuuji chattered through most of dinner about his and Kenjirou’s plans for the future and for the first steps of their life together. The adults only got in a couple words of their own, but Yuuji knew they didn’t mind that in the least.

Even Kenjirou’s father, who normally retreated to his home office after dinner to continue his work, stayed seated for a while to listen to Yuuji’s dreams as he drew on the tabletop with his finger and described his thoughts, though his words usually came out too quickly and disjointed to be easily understood. Yuuji vaguely wished that Kenjirou was here to act as an interpreter since his phrasing was usually a lot more eloquent than Yuuji’s excited rambling.

“I think once we get settled in, we’re going to get a kitten!” Yuuji rocked back and forth in his seat. “My neighbor had a cat when I was a kid and I would go over there and play with it and it was super fun! I think Kenjirou would like having a kitten, but what do you think? Would he like that?”

Kenjirou’s mother smiled and nodded.

“Awesome! I was going to surprise him, that’s why I have to know. I’ll look at some cat shelters for the perfect one!”

The three began clearing the table and Yuuji volunteered to wash dishes.

“Why couldn’t Kenjirou have picked up some of this helpfulness from you?” Kenjirou’s mother asked with a smile.

Yuuji grinned. “I’m not like this all the time at home, it’s fine. Kenjirou’s super helpful when he wants to be. Which is more often than you might think!”

When the chores were finished, Yuuji sat down in the living room with his boyfriend’s parents.

“To be serious for a moment, I know we’ve all talked about this for a while, but I want to ask again without Kenjirou here: Do you guys have any reservations about us getting an apartment together? Hopefully, I’ve proved myself to you both over time, but I wouldn’t blame you for being nervous about letting your son move in with someone he only met and started dating not even a year ago. I want to be the best person I can and I want guys to feel confident that he’s going to be safe.”

Kenjirou’s father spoke first. “Yuuji, I’m not an unreasonable man and I’m not someone who lets emotions dictate his life. At one point, I might have been wary of you since you seem to operate more on instinct than reasoning. However, I understand now that you put a lot of thought and all of your emotions into what matters to you. If there’s one thing I can be certain of, it is that Kenjirou will not go unloved and you will not either. I question some of the mischief you two tend to get up to sometimes and I know there are things he’s done in the past year that he wouldn’t have done without your influence, but I trust the both of you to keep each other in check.”

Yuuji nodded. Kenjirou’s father was honest and logical, so he wasn’t surprised that permission from him had come with a warning. A fair warning it was, though. Yuuji was more reckless than Kenjirou and had led him on slightly more dangerous paths than he would take on his own, but if there was one thing Yuuji was committed to, it was Kenjirou’s safety. Yuuji figured it was probably knowledge of this that ultimately earned him approval.

“Thank you, sir. I do appreciate your confidence in me. We’re not kids anymore and I understand that my actions, no matter how big or small, have consequences and I’m ready to put Kenjirou’s needs before my own in any situation—”

“Alright, Yuuji, I understand you. You two are moving into an apartment, not getting married. You don’t need to start making vows.”

And there was the sarcasm Kenjirou had inherited as well.

Yuuji beamed. “Thank you anyway. I think this is an important step in our relationship and I just want you to know that I’m taking it seriously.”

The man nodded.

Yuuji’s gaze shifted to the woman on the couch next to her husband.

She smiled. “Yuuji, I love you as a second son and you know that. In the past year, there have been a lot of changes in this house, but the most important one is that it’s become a brighter place. We all smile more when you’re here and no one more than Kenjirou. I wouldn’t entrust him to anyone else, but I have no problems with him staying with you. I don’t have a single worry about this plan. At least not on your end...”

“What do you mean?” Yuuji raised an eyebrow.

“I know you’re well aware of how he can be sometimes and I can’t say he’s ever been the easiest kid to parent. You’ve changed him a lot and he acts differently around you than with us, but just know that if you ever get frustrated, I’m more than willing to help you.”

Yuuji laughed out loud. “Thank you for your concern, I may have to call you at some point. Obviously, we spend a lot of time together, but you’re right. I’ve never had to live with him. However, it’s a new adventure that I’m really excited to start, even knowing that there will inevitably be bumps in the road. I’m in love with Kenjirou and nothing is going to change that. However, that being said, since we’re all sitting here, feel free to clue me in on some embarrassing stories from his childhood just in case I ever need some blackmail material.”


	5. Kenjirou

Kenjirou talked softly with Yuuji’s mother through dinner, enjoying getting to sit back and eat while she babbled excitedly about getting to help them move into their apartment. When talking, she always gave off the impression that she was there to talk and dominate the conversation, but Kenjirou always found himself getting plenty of opportunities to speak. Yuuji was like that as well, a master of influencing conversation and shaping it exactly how he would want it to go.

“What’s the apartment like?” she asked. “I haven’t been over there; Yuuji won’t let me, so I’ve only seen pictures on the computer.”

Kenjirou smiled. “My parents haven’t been over there yet either. Yuuji and I have only been over there twice ourselves, but it’s a pretty nice place. It’s not too small, but it’s not more than we need. The most important part is that the building as a whole is in good condition. It’s less important how snazzy the place looks because we’ll make it feel like home in no time. What matters is that the building is structurally secure and we shouldn’t have any problems with utilities or anything like that. That was one of the reasons I pushed for this one. There was another that we had looked at that was bigger and it had this cool thing in the kitchen and I think Yuuji liked that one more, but there was some issue with the water main in the building a few years back and I felt like there could still be potential problems there.”

There were tears in Yuuji’s mother’s eyes. “You’re so grown up...”

Kenjirou blushed. “It’s not like we did this all on our own. You helped and my parents lent a hand as well.”

Yuuji’s mother leaned across the table and rested her hand on top of Kenjirou’s. “Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for him. You’re probably the reason he’s alive.”

Kenjirou looked down and pushed his spoon around his now-empty bowl. “This is going to sound cheesy, but that’s the least I can do. He’s the reason I’m  _ living _ as opposed to just  _ surviving _ . So.”

Yuuji’s mother fell silent for a moment. “You two are good for each other. I’ll miss this.”

Kenjirou frowned. “Hey, we’re not disappearing off the face of the planet. Just across town. Please don’t cry, I’m not good at dealing with crying people...”

She laughed slightly, brushing at her eyes. “I know, but it’s just. It’s just different and it’s going to be weird. I love when Yuuji walks in the front door with you in tow and asks permission for you to stay the night here. I know that I’m going to hear voices down the hall way later into the night than I would like, but I also know that there’s going to be more laughter at the dinner table and Yuuji will actually end up studying or doing homework if you’re here and it just feels complete... I’m excited for you guys that you have that kind of relationship but I’m going to miss having it here. For 17 years, Yuuji and I have been a team. But we were never complete until you showed up.”

Kenjirou stood up from the table and cleared the dishes. “I feel privileged to be a valued honorary member of the family. I don’t intend for that to ever change, and I can’t imagine much time will pass between our visits. You know how Yuuji is.”

Yuuji’s mother smiled. “I know. I’ll savor these couple days with you though.”

Kenjirou chuckled. “I’m glad that you enjoy having me here. That would be a problem otherwise. Is there anything you wanted to do this evening? We could marathon that soap opera that Yuuji refuses to sit still through.”

The woman laughed. “I’d love to just spend the evening relaxing with you, Kenjirou. Are you sure that’s what you want? You probably have more important things to—”

“Sooo...” Kenjirou interrupted, smiling as he finishing throwing dishes into the dishwasher and moved to sit on the couch. “Remind me where we left off here?”

 

After seven episodes of the drama, one of which having moved Kenjirou to the verge of tears, Yuuji’s mother shut the TV off.

“Kenjirou, it got really late all of the sudden... I’m so sorry, you’re probably exhausted! Get yourself to bed right now!”

Kenjirou laughed, absently noting it was after 1 am. “It’s fine, I’m rarely asleep by this time. You know that. It’s Yuuji who can’t stay awake past 10 pm.”

Yuuji’s mother grinned. “That’s true. Still, you should get more sleep than you do. What does tomorrow look like for you?”

“Well, Yuuji and I both have those internships we started a while ago, though I have a few days off of work in the evening, so I’ll be back here by dinner. I’ll be here another night and then it’ll be the weekend and we’re moving...”

“Well then what in heaven’s name are you doing awake! You need to be up bright and early tomorrow! Get off my couch and into bed! I’ll have breakfast ready by 7:00!” The woman physically pushed Kenjirou to his feet and elbowed him towards the stairs.

Kenjirou laughed and dashed up the first few steps. “Don’t make me breakfast; you hate mornings.”

She stomped her foot and crossed her arms. Kenjirou grinned at the regression to childish behavior that he was so used to.

“Don’t tell me what to do. You need a good breakfast and as much sleep as you can get. Now get upstairs!”

“Okay, okay, I’m going. Goodnight.”

After waving, Kenjirou entered Yuuji’s bedroom and flopped on the bed. He was thrilled to be moving, but he was going to miss spending every other night in this house.

Kenjirou tugged his shirt off and changed into a pair of Yuuji’s sweatpants that he found in the dresser before climbing into the familiar bed. The blanket smelled like home and it smelled like Yuuji and Kenjirou buried his nose in that scent. He supposed that there was going to be a new smell that made Kenjirou feel most at home soon. He’d never put much thought into laundry detergent, but suddenly he felt the urge to run back downstairs and make note of what brand the Terushima laundry was marked by. If he could live in a world full of this fresh, clean scent, he would be in heaven.

Kenjirou powered on his phone, pulling his messages up. He had been texting Yuuji while watching the soap opera, but the replies had suddenly cut off around 9:30 as he passed out.

 

**Me:** Hey. Text me in the morning, make sure I’m up by 6:30? Love you.

 

Kenjirou still set his alarm anyway, just to be safe, then made himself comfortable in bed. It was certainly late and normally, he would’ve fallen asleep without a problem, but instead, he just lay awake, staring at the ceiling. This had been part of his hesitation in pulling off this house-swap for their last few days before moving. It was certainly a  _ different _ experience, which was probably where Yuuji found the appeal, but it was a bit inconvenient. Kenjirou wasn’t sure if he wanted to be alone at night; he’d grown so used to the constant presence of Yuuji’s arms around him, hands shifting under his clothing and pulling him into different configurations. It had been months since Kenjirou, normally a very still, deep sleeper, had woken up in the same position that he’d fallen asleep in, due to Yuuji’s tossing and pushing as he woke up for a few minutes a couple times a night. Kenjirou didn’t really want to go back to the previous, boring way of sleeping, nor did he want to have to wake up alone or fall asleep to silent stillness. A year ago, if it wasn’t pitch black and completely silent, he would just get annoyed, but now he didn’t know if he could feel safe without the door open a crack and the curtains pushed back to let moonlight into the room.


	6. Yuuji

Yuuji woke up when he face planted into the carpet.

Instantly alert, he sat up quickly and rubbed his tired eyes. He was normally a pretty restless sleeper, but last night was impossibly worse than normal. He’d gone to bed a little after 9:00 and contentedly texted Kenjirou for a while until he realized he’d never be able to sleep if he kept this up. He stopped replying and closed his eyes, burying his face in the pillows and wrapping soft blankets around himself.

Instead of plunging into sleep after taking a few minutes to quiet his mind, Yuuji lay awake. He dozed fitfully, tossing and turning, just trying to find something to grab onto, finally settling with one of the pillows.

A little after 5:00 am he began to open his eyes again and suddenly found himself on the very edge of the bed and he tumbled onto the floor, pulling blankets with him.

He picked himself up again, hoping his substitute parents hadn’t been awakened. Yuuji glanced at his phone, noting the text from Kenjirou, asking him to make sure he woke up in time. Yuuji had half a mind to go over to his own house and wake him up by jumping on him, but that would defeat the purpose of exchanging houses if they were just going to start their days together anyway. It was only one more night. Yuuji would be able to handle bad sleep and loneliness for one more night.

It made him wonder how he’d lived before this past year. Yuuji had never been a deep sleeper and had always had troubles quieting his mind as he fell asleep, but he had always been able to get a decent amount of rest. He’d started dating Kenjirou and having a warm body curled up in his arms quieted Yuuji’s ever-racing thoughts almost immediately. Yuuji had formed the habit of running his hands over Kenjirou’s body to get rid of the excess energy he still retained and he was able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer with someone to hold.

Unfortunately, the relaxing presence had become like a drug and now that Yuuji didn’t have Kenjirou next to him, he was feeling the withdrawals. He wondered if Kenjirou had slept alright. He’d ask when they met up. He didn’t want to go through with this plan if Kenjirou was losing sleep from it. He didn’t get enough from the start.

Yuuji stretched and poked his head outside the bedroom door into the silent hallway, not unused to being the only one awake in the early morning hours in this house. The Shirabu parents were usually awake earlier than their nocturnal son, but almost never as early as Yuuji. He almost always used the time to explore, looking through books on the shelves in the study or memorizing what knick-knacks lurked in the basement or organizing the food in the pantry. Today was a little different though since Kenjirou wasn’t here. Yuuji elected to stay inside the bedroom and do his daily exploring there.

He’d asked Kenjirou if there was anything he ever kept hidden in his room before, but Kenjirou had just responded with a bored shrug.

“Nothing to hide,” he’d said. “You can look around if you want.”

Yuuji hadn’t at that moment, but he counted that as permission to root around now. There wasn’t a whole lot to be explored since Yuuji had spent so much time in this room anyway, but he pulled open dresser drawers to look around anyway.

The majority of Kenjirou’s possessions were already packed in cardboard boxes stacked against one wall and Yuuji admired the neat organization.

What remained in the dresser was mostly clothing Kenjirou wasn’t hugely fond of and relics from high school and before. There were a couple volleyballs in the closet and some Shiratorizawa clothing. Yuuji frowned and looked through a couple boxes of neatly folded clothing, adding Kenjirou’s track jacket and a purple t-shirt on top, refusing to let all of it get left behind.

Yuuji got bored and padded downstairs to toast some bread for himself and he pulled out his phone.

 

**Me:** Kenjirou :D

**Me:** Kenjirou :DD

**Me:** Kenjirou :DDDDDDDDD

**Me:** Wake up >u<

**Me:** Darling

**Me:** Baby

**Me:** Honey

**Me:** Get up >:C

**Me:** Kenjirou!!!!!!!

**Me:** Hey.

**Me:** Stupidface.

**Me:** Get up.

**KENJIROU♡:** CALM THE FUCK DOWN IM UP

**Me:** Are you sure ;)

**KENJIROU♡:** Yes I’m downstairs calm your shit

**Me:** You’re the one who asked me to wake you up. You calm down :9

**KENJIROU♡:** Go away.

**KENJIROU♡:** I’ll see you in an hour.

**Me:** Did you sleep alright?

**KENJIROU♡:** We’ll talk later, your mother wants me to stop texting at the table.

**Me:** Of course she does...

**Me:** Kenjirou?

**Me:** Kenjirouuu

**Me:** Fine

**Me:** See you later I love you

 

Yuuji smiled to himself and finished making his breakfast. He scrolled back through his and Kenjirou’s texts from the previous night, feeling like they were back in high school, texting each other into the night until Yuuji inevitably fell asleep. The conversations had been surface deep, but still fun, mostly consisting of teasing and name-calling. There was something endearing about reverting back to feeling like young lovers. Technically they still were, but it was pretty clear by this point that nothing was going to change between them any time soon. They would be living together now and Yuuji couldn’t think of anything better to symbolize the commitment he was making to Kenjirou. There were only so many adventures they could have while living at home, but moving out presented with them with new opportunities that Yuuji couldn’t wait to take advantage of.


	7. Kenjirou

Kenjirou heaved himself through the front door of the office. It had been a weird morning.

He’d woken up to Yuuji’s frantic text messages, his preferred alarm clock outside of his boyfriend physically cuddling him into consciousness, though he would deny how much he liked that until the day he died. He’d thrown a shirt on and gone downstairs, trying not to trip on the too-long cuffs of Yuuji’s pants he was still wearing to find breakfast already done, Yuuji’s mother looking slightly tired, but chipper as always.

She insisted on talking to him through the meal, asking him questions about how he and Yuuji spent their days. The two of them had internships at a magazine while they were both enrolled in online classes. Yuuji was steadily proving his worth as a photographer which didn’t surprise Kenjirou in the slightest. Yuuji was always taking pictures and they always looked good despite inopportune lighting, the camera quality, or the fact that he captured moments right as they were happening. Half the time, Kenjirou was caught on film candid, not anticipating the picture attack in the slightest, but the photos still looked amazing. In a more professional setting, Yuuji’s style was unique and Kenjirou could easily pick out a photograph that Yuuji had taken compared to others, though he wasn’t sure how exactly that worked. People had seemed surprised at the instant appeal Yuuji’s work had, but Kenjirou had only smiled slightly as he listened in on the praise. It was the vast amount of instinct, creativity, and imagination Yuuji had that let him capture exactly what he wanted to see. Nothing was going to change his flair and that pretty much ensured him a future job once he had some credentials from school under his belt.

Kenjirou’s success hadn’t come with a bang as Yuuji’s had, but he’d found his own way to shine. He was pursuing a career in journalism and had gotten an internship at the same place as Yuuji. His first project had taken him three days with a total of seven hours of sleep in between to craft, but it was more than worth the result. His writing didn’t stand out as spectacular or anything special in comparison with Yuuji’s style, but his editor had come to him with praise anyway. His articles were simple and to the point, steering away from frilly, attention-seeking techniques, but readers were coming back. His online view counts were high and many of the views were people’s second time through. The bottom line was that people were somehow attracted to what he wrote to the point where they were rereading it. That was only going to help him in the future when he was able to churn out content at higher rates. For these reasons, he was pretty much guaranteed a job in the future as well. 

Kenjirou was pretty sure Yuuji had told his mother all this before, but Kenjirou explained how things were going for them anyway. The woman stared at him while he spoke, barely touching the food she’d made for herself.

“Would you mind driving me over there?” Kenjirou asked, popping the last bite of french toast into his mouth. “Otherwise I can call Yuuji to come pick me up, but—”

“No worries!” The peppy lady rose from the table. “When do we have to leave?”

Kenjirou glanced at the time on his phone. “Fifteen minutes. Let me go grab a shower real quick.”

He dashed back upstairs, rushing to get ready. He had clothing of his own in Yuuji’s closet, he knew it, but he was just having trouble finding something. He threw on a nice pair of jeans and went through the closet a few times before hesitantly extracting one of Yuuji’s gray button-down shirts. He didn’t often get the urge to dress in Yuuji’s clothing though he often ended up wearing a lot of Yuuji’s stuff to bed or on the weekends by accident. Maybe it was just waking up alone for the first time in over a month that prompted him to do it, but whatever the reason, he buttoned up the shirt and glanced in the mirror. While he and Yuuji were about the same height, their builds still kept them from being able to share clothing more easily.

Kenjirou frowned at his reflection and tucked in the shirt and rolled up the sleeves to make it look like the shirt was actually his size. It clearly wasn’t, but he didn’t much care at this point.

He ignored the look he received from Yuuji’s mother as he climbed into the passenger seat of the car, content to quietly listen to her chatter for the drive.

“Can I come in with you?” She asked eagerly, pulling up to the curb.

Kenjirou smiled slightly. “I’ll let you know if there’s a ‘bring your parent to work day’ coming up. Yuuji and I have to get stuff done here today though.”

She nodded understandingly. “Well, you two have fun! Should I come pick you up at the end of the day?”

“That’s okay, I’ll get Yuuji to drop me off since he... has... my car... Why does he get my car just because he’s staying at my house, this wasn’t part of the deal!” Kenjirou flopped back in the seat, frowning. “That was totally his plan from the beginning. Why didn’t I see that?”

Yuuji’s mother laughed. “You go tell him who’s boss, darling.”

Kenjirou smiled. “I’ll see you later tonight. Have a nice day.”

After waving, Kenjirou stepped confidently into the building.

And was immediately attacked.


	8. Together

“Is that my shirt, Kenjirou?” Yuuji asked when he released the crushing hug.

“No, it’s mine.” Kenjirou looked away to hide his blush. “It’s new.”

“Looks a little big on you,” Yuuji snickered, taking Kenjirou’s hand and walking further into the building.

“Maybe I’ll grow into it.” Kenjirou smiled softly.

Yuuji laughed. “You’ve been using that excuse for a year and you haven’t grown at all.”

“Neither have you.”

“I don’t try to deny it though.”

“Fair enough. So how was your night with my parents?”

“It was fun! We made dinner and then just hung out and talked. It started out all serious but after a while, it was just chit chat. How about you?”

“Hah. Yeah, it was good. We watched a soap until 1 am.”

“Kenjirou! That’s so late! I’m going to take that sleep project from the assignment board and I’ll do it about you. The world will see how you suffer on five hours of sleep and maybe you’ll finally do something about it.”

“Whatever you say. You’re not allowed to do the sleep project on me because you’d have to team with a writer and I refuse to let someone watch me sleep.”

“I could team with you.”

“I can’t watch me sleep.”

Yuuji giggled. “You don’t need to. I’ll watch you sleep.”

“Then you’ll be the one losing sleep. Also, that’s weird even by your standards.”

“Fun though!”

“No it wouldn’t. You already have an assignment. As do I.”

“When are they going to let us work together on something like we’ve been asking?”

“Who knows. When we have actual jobs we can formally request that.”

“When’s that going to be though!?” Yuuji whined.

“I don’t know, but your boss is coming and she looks like she’s going to yell at us for bickering again. Good luck.” Kenjirou split off down a hall to his department to leave his boyfriend at the mercy of his higher-up.

 

Yuuji spent the morning slightly more distracted than normal. Kenjirou was always only two hallways away but for some reason, he couldn’t escape the tug in his brain today. It was probably just the fact that they hadn’t spent the night together that he was missing his boyfriend so much, but it took a vast amount of self-control to stay at the desk he was placed behind, editing someone else’s pictures.

The second lunch was called, Yuuji was on his feet, being only partially careful not to collide with people exiting the office as he made his way towards the journalism department.

Kenjirou caught him by the shoulders as he dashed forward. “Hey. Settle down. You’re going to run into someone.”

Yuuji sighed and contentedly fell into step beside Kenjirou as they exited the building.

“Are you okay?” Kenjirou asked as they found a shaded spot under a tree in the park adjacent to the building.

“Of course I’m okay! I’m just excited for tomorrow and I’m antsy because I haven’t gotten to spend as much time with you lately!”

“This was your plan, you know...”

“Yeah, I know. I’m still having fun and I think it’ll be even more fun once we officially move in and then we don’t ever have to be apart! It’s like a weird social experiment, keeping us apart for two nights then throwing us back together—”

“Three nights.”

“What?”

“Last night, tonight, then we start moving, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to unpack completely in one day. We’ll probably have to spend one more night at home and I feel like our parents are going to want to spend one last night with their child.”

“Oh. That’s true...” Yuuji visibly sagged. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. It’s okay, tomorrow we get to spend all day together moving. The weekend is ours.”

“Yeah, but then we have to come back here on Monday and go back to work in the evenings and stuff...”

Kenjirou smiled and kissed Yuuji’s cheek. “Yeah, but we’ll  _ live _ together.”

Yuuji brightened again almost instantly. “That’s true!”

 

Lunch was a quiet affair as usual, the both of them eating the food they had packed for themselves then heading back inside as the rest of the magazine’s employees filtered in. 

A good-natured argument broke out the second they reunited at the end of the day.

“So can I have my car back, you thief?” Kenjirou looked at Yuuji suspiciously.

Yuuji just grinned. “Why? I’m the substitute Kenjirou at your house!”

“No, you’re not, you’re Yuuji, invading my house. And stealing my car. I want it back.”

“You can live without your car for a night, chill out.”

“Your mother had to drive me here. That’s a bit rude.”

“Oh, come on, she loved it, I can guarantee it.”

“Whatever. But I—”

“Nope. I get your car today. I am the substitute Kenjirou.”

“Whatever. Just make sure you know where you’re going tomorrow on our way to the apartment.”

“I’ve seen you drive there twice. What could go wrong?”

“I’m not going to answer that. But you have to take me back to your mom’s for the night.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

The conversation shifted slightly as they got into the car and Yuuji pulled away.

“By the way,” Kenjirou smirked, “Are you packed at all? I was worried about stuff I left to the last minute but your room doesn’t look like you’ve touched it.”

Yuuji shrugged. “I was gonna wing it.”

“You’re going to forget something.”

“You’re going to end up with things you didn’t mean to bring.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Either way. I hope you have a good plan for this or tomorrow morning is going to be rough.”

“I’ll just come over earlier and—”

“No you won’t. I’m going to be peacefully sleeping. You better not mess with me.”

“Meh. I’ll figure something out. Also, you should wash that shirt, I want it safely packed.”

Kenjirou smiled. “I told you, it’s my shirt.”

Yuuji laughed.


	9. Yuuji

Yuuji scrambled back inside the Shirabu house after dropping Kenjirou off in his driveway.

“I’m home!” he called out.

He was met with a bear hug from Kenjirou’s mother. “How was your day?”

“It was great! I got to talk to Kenjirou!”

She laughed. “That’s nothing special.”

“Yes it is! Every time I get to talk to him, it’s special.”

Kenjirou’s mom smiled warmly. “You say some of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard, you know that?”

Yuuji blushed. “I’m in love. Hey, can we play board games tonight? It’ll be great because Kenjirou’s not here to cheat.”

“But games would only take half as long if we didn’t have to pause for you two to argue over rules.”

Yuuji grinned. “He’s stubborn. He still won’t accept my idea to have a fight to the death at the beginning over who gets the red peg and the red peg gets to start two spaces ahead of everyone else.”

“I still don’t understand why it has to be the red peg...?”

Yuuji shrugged and wandered into the kitchen. “Because it’s the red peg. I don’t know. The red peg is always the best.”

“I have some work to attend to,” Kenjirou’s father commented, excusing himself after dinner.

Yuuji nodded in agreement before turning back to Kenjirou’s mother. “Did you want to do something fun tonight? We could play a game or just talk or watch TV? Kenjirou and my mom watched a soap until 1 am last night because they’re dumb or something.”

“1 am...” Kenjirou’s mother mouthed.

Yuuji laughed. “Yeah, I’m not sure how they do that. Not the first time either. I usually pass out on Kenjirou after like one episode but they can watch it for hours. One thing’s for sure though, I’m not going to let Kenjirou stay up that late. It’s not healthy. I mean if we don’t have anything in the morning maybe. I’m not his parent, but I do want him to get enough sleep every night...”

Kenjirou’s mother put her hand on Yuuji’s knee. “You have no idea how lucky we all are to have you, Yuuji. It’s honestly a load off my mind to know that Kenjirou is in such good hands. This is... more than I could’ve ever imagined. And not just in having a great boyfriend in general, but that he’ll be safe.”

Yuuji rubbed the woman’s back. “Hey, Kenjirou was always going to be safe. He’s always been destined for greatness, I can say that for sure.”

Yuuji was a touch surprised when she started crying. The past year that he’d known her, he’d learned that she was a very considerate lady, but not usually one to get emotional.

She shook her head, burying her face in her hands. “I’ve always been scared for him.”

Yuuji blinked. He couldn’t think of a single reason to doubt Kenjirou’s ability to take care of himself. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “When he was a kid, I never doubted that he was smart, not once. But he’s so independent-thinking sometimes. He won’t admit when he needs help and he’ll look for the answers to his questions on his own.”

“All due respect, but I think you’re misinterpreting him,” Yuuji said softly. “He’s fiercely proud and doesn’t let just anyone know when he got something wrong. But he will never lie about that and he’ll fess up if he needs to. He’s self-confident and that’s the image he projects for the world to see, but he’s not afraid to say he’s wrong. He has explosive passion, but it just doesn’t come across the same way as other people. When things are important to him, he takes a step back, analyzes from every angle. He takes it slow, testing his footing and how far he can push. If you remember, it took a while for our relationship to get going. Even for someone who’d never dated before, I thought it was weird. I thought maybe there was some sort of incident from his past that would make him wary of dating or forming attachments, but it didn’t take long to figure out that he was just circling me for a while. He needed to move at his own pace at the beginning and examine the situation before feeling safe enough to go for it. When it took a month before he was okay with holding hands, I thought it was going to be years until he would be comfortable around me. I was happy to wait that long for him, but I just didn’t want him to be uncomfortable for so long. And then he finished testing his wings and we took off. One thing I find really interesting is to watch him write. Some people write from the heart. They yank emotions out of people and get reactions. That’s not Kenjirou. He writes with his head. He uses pure strategy and rhetoric and not one word is frivolous. Every sentence is crafted with precision and that’s how he’s found so much success. Not by jumping into things, but by examining every angle and figuring out the best way to approach. Some might think of him as cautious or slow, but I think the better word is genius.”

Yuuji was immediately wrapped in a tight hug. “Thank you,” Kenjirou’s mother whispered. “Thank you for understanding him.”

“He’s worth getting to know,” Yuuji reassured her.

“He's always been so stubborn and I never really knew what to do with him...”

Yuuji snickered, feeling the conversation take a lighter turn. “Well, he is that. He's not too hard to understand though after you get used to thinking like he would.”

“You think? Maybe I've just never been able to adopt his thought process like you have, but he's always been a mystery to me. Even as a kid, comparing us to other people and their children, you could tell Kenjirou was different. He never really played well with others or listened to authority well. He’ll listen if someone tells him what to do, but he won't actually do it until he's thought through it and decided that he agrees with it as well.”

“Well then just be glad he's smart and mature enough that what people tell him usually lines up with what he decides anyway.”

Kenjirou's mother laughed. “Most of the time. Sometimes I feel like he's being stubborn just for the sake of being difficult.”

Yuuji was suddenly  _ very _ glad that Kenjirou wasn’t here to argue or fight back as Yuuji laughed out loud. “Well, he does do that...”

“You should’ve seen him when he was younger. He’s never been real social and every time we encouraged him to go play with other kids, he’d get this look on his face, you know it, don’t you? The face that says he's going to do the exact opposite of what you told him to and he's going to enjoy every second of it.”

Yuuji’s stomach was starting to hurt from laughing. “I know exactly the face you’re talking about. It was the face I fell in love with. I’d push him to the edge just so I could see that look.”

“Well, I’m glad someone takes pleasure in that. He was impossible sometimes. Tell him to play nicely, he’d move into a corner and never share. Tell him to try new foods, he literally only ate mac n cheese and apple juice for 13 years.”

“At least he eats now? That’s all I can say really...”

“I think you helped with that one. I never thought I’d see the day he was helping in the kitchen. But now you two make dinner all the time together. I was always so concerned with him being able to live well by himself, what with how independent he’s always been, but I don’t think that’s necessary anymore. He has you and I think that’s all he needs.”

“I’m never going to leave him, trust me. I know he’s fully capable of making it on his own, but there’s still no way I’d let him go like that. I don’t know if  _ I _ could make it on my own. He’s saved my life more times than I can count, whether it be by making sure I know my stupid ideas are actually as dumb as they sound or by making me smile when I didn’t think I knew how. You might think that Kenjirou is difficult and I can’t exactly argue with that all the time, but he’s also incredible and talented and brilliant and I can’t thank you enough for raising him like you have and encouraging him all these years. I’m in love with your son. There isn’t a doubt in my mind about that.”


	10. Kenjirou

Kenjirou hugged Yuuji across the car before hopping back out at his stop.

The front door was already unlocked for him, a considerate action even though he had a key to the place anyway.

“Hello?”

When he didn’t get a reply right away, Kenjirou stepped inside quickly. Quiet inside the Terushima house never meant something good. Confirming there was no one on the ground floor, Kenjirou took the stairs two at a time to the second floor and knocked on the door of the master bedroom.

The door was opened and Kenjirou was met with Yuuji’s mother, her face streaked with tears.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” Kenjirou put his hand on her shoulder worriedly.

She hiccupped. “It doesn’t matter!”

Kenjirou took a deep breath. Yuuji was similar in that he had a vast amount of emotions, but he didn’t always show the negative ones until the pressure built up to be too much. “Come downstairs, I’ll make dinner and we can talk it out. Okay?”

She nodded weakly and allowed herself to be led back downstairs.

Kenjirou glanced through the fridge and ultimately just made them both sandwiches, then plunked down on the couch next to Yuuji’s mother. “Alright, spill.”

“It’s really not a huge deal,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m just struggling with the concept of being alone.”

Kenjirou nodded slowly. She and Yuuji had always been close since all they had were each other. Having him leave would definitely be a huge change for her as well.

“We’re not going anywhere for good. We’re still going to be close and we won’t let you get lonely.”

“It’s just going to be so different being in an empty house every day.”

Kenjirou suddenly knew what she was really saying. “You’ve been there for me whenever I needed it for the past year. Don’t think we’re leaving you alone. We aren’t abandoning you. You don’t need to be afraid of that happening... again.”

Yuuji’s mother started crying again and buried her face in Kenjirou’s chest. “Please don’t leave. I’ll let you both stay here, no rent or anything. I don’t want to be alone!”

“Hey, your kid moving out is part of life and everyone does it. You’ll miss us at first, but you’ll get used to it and after a while, it won’t be so hard. Yuuji needs to start his life. He loves you and he always will, but you need to let him adventure out on his own. You can’t keep him down; you know that. I’m sorry; I can’t do anything about that. You can’t hold him down. I couldn’t either and you know that. There’s nothing that will stop him once he gets going.”

She straightened up again. “You’re right. There’s nothing I could or should do to keep him here. He has to forge his own path.”

Kenjirou smiled. “Yuuji’s a firecracker. That’s never not been true. If you try to hold him down, he’ll explode in your face.”

“Kenjirou, promise me that you’ll chase after him if he tries to go.”

The smile was ripped right off Kenjirou’s face. “What do you mean by that?”

“I worry about him so much. You know his inability to stay still. He’s always looking for the next big thing and I worry he’ll never be able to settle down. But you can’t let him just keep running for the rest of his life alone. You have to keep him down or go with him or  _ something _ , I don’t even know, but I can feel it in my heart that bad things will happen if he gets too far from you. I want him to feel at home somewhere and I want him to be able to commit to this. I—”

“Slow down. You’re not making any sense to me.” Kenjirou placed his hands on the woman’s shoulders and looked into her eyes until she settled down. “Tell me where all of this is coming from. I’ve never feared any of that for Yuuji. When he commits to something, he follows through. And all his life, he’s never left you, so what’s this about him not feeling at home?” Mind spinning, Kenjirou wasn’t quite sure what to expect next. He’d never dealt directly with his boyfriend’s mother’s emotions and the only data he had to look off of was Yuuji. And he usually took a long time and a lot of comforting to calm down when he was this upset about something.

To contrast, Yuuji’s mother took a stuttering breath and sat perfectly still.

Kenjirou shifted closer and hugged her. “Talk when you’re ready. No pressure.”

It was silent for a few minutes as Kenjirou worked at holding his mind back from drawing conclusions from what the woman had been vaguely ranting about. He wasn’t going to assume anything until she told him outright.

One more deep breath and the woman looked up at Kenjirou. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “What’s wrong?” Secretly he was very glad she kept her explosions under control, unlike her son.

She looked away again. “There are a lot of times when I look at him and I see a perfect replica of his father. He and I met in high school and dated off and on for a few years. He would always get antsy and leave for a little while when he discovered something new. But he always came back. I-I thought it was a sign that we were meant to be together. No matter how many times he left, he always came back and I was always happiest when I had him around. And I was happy to let him go from time to time as well. I’d known him a long time and I understood that he needed a longer leash. He wanted to be happy and that was synonymous with freedom for him. I should’ve seen it myself, that when he was committed to me, he was never truly happy. But I do think he loved me. And that’s why he always returned. And I don’t think he wanted to break my heart either. He just... always seemed so restless and I, the dreamer that I was, thought that I could help him. I thought that if he had something to  _ really _ commit to, he wouldn’t feel the need to run anymore. That’s when we got married. It was great for a little while and I think he was happy for just a short period of time. Then he got restless again. I was so desperate to have him stay and I thought if I gave him enough reasons not to leave, he’d see my point of view. His eyes were always on the horizon and I thought I could pull them back toward me.”

Kenjirou wanted fiercely to rebuke her here. There were so many aspects of Yuuji that reassured Kenjirou that he’d never be one to desert anyone. But he knew that the woman was letting go of a lifetime’s worth of heartbreak and he was more than willing to be the listening ear.

A few silent tears rolled down the woman’s cheeks as she paused. “I haven’t seen him in 18 years. He left a month after I told him I was pregnant. We’d had fights before and I just assumed it would be like every other time: he’d explode and leave, but he’d be back really quickly to apologize. Maybe he’d take some more time just to get away, but then he’d be back to stay for a while. I thought this was going to be the same thing. He did call two days later to apologize, but he never came back. He sends money and he sends cards every year around Yuuji’s birthday. They’re usually a little early, but I always give them to Yuuji right on the day. I d-don’t think he knows... I don’t think he knows exactly what day Yuuji was born. I can’t say for sure, but I think I knew him well enough to theorize that he does feel bad. The only reason he never bothered to check in again is it would just give him more guilt. And that would tie him down. I’m not angry anymore, but I’m still sad.”

Kenjirou thought silently for a few moments before replying. “I understand where your fear is coming from, but I don’t think you need to worry about that. He’s ambitious, that’s always been clear, and I don’t know if he’ll ever stop pushing to be the best that he can be, but I’ve never gotten the impression that he didn’t want to be tied down to me or anything else. I don’t know much about what his father was like, but that’s one thing I know for sure is different. I think you’ve done a good job in raising him to be responsible. He can get distracted from things and forget small details, but when he’s committed to something, he doesn’t let anything get in his way. You can let go of your fear of Yuuji growing up to be just like his father.”

Yuuji’s mother sniffled. “I know. I know he’s different, but I still get scared sometimes when I see some of the things he does that just... they’re just so similar in some ways. Yuuji never knew his father, but they have some of the same habits even...”

Kenjirou smiled softly. “Not all those are bad though, are they? As far as I can tell, he must have inherited the best parts of both of you.”

The woman hiccuped as she laughed. “You’re right. A lot of those are good.”

Kenjirou leaned his head on her shoulder. “Tell me about some of them?”

“Well, I’ve always been able to see it. When Yuuji was a child, he was just so adventurous. He hardly ever spent time in the house because he was always out exploring. He would come home in the afternoons so banged up sometimes that I was astonished how much trouble he’d managed to get into in such a short period of time, but he was never upset about that. He’d just start telling me stories of the adventures he’d had that day. Sometimes he’d come home and he would be telling me that he met people too and it worried me a lot how easily he made friends and how easily he trusted people, but he has pretty good judgment too. That’s the biggest thing for me. Yuuji’s father could step into a room and be friends with every single person in there within five minutes.”

Kenjirou grinned. “That’s so true. You’re not exactly an introvert either though.”

“I know. I love people. But Yuuji and his father alike,  _ people _ love  _ them _ . You’ve seen that too.”

“It used to make me mad actually,” Kenjirou grinned, thinking back on the past year. “There were a few times before we started dating that we went to social functions and he just. The entire room was attracted to him. And so was I. So really, I was just another person in the crowd watching his every move and being awestruck. Everyone was always trying to talk to him and he would talk to everyone. I could never get to him that way though. After we started dating though, it was completely different. He dragged me to a few good-natured parties and everyone there still gravitated toward him, but he kept me by his side. It was an entirely new perspective. I get to be there as everyone within a five block radius is drawn to him and that’s beautiful. One thing I’m curious about though. When you get emotional, you calm down pretty quickly, don’t you. Yuuji’s not like that.”

The woman smiled fondly. “That’s another part of his father he’s taken. He doesn’t get emotional often, but when he does, it’s a sight to see.”

“I’ve noticed that too. But I think he gets misunderstood for it. People think he’s shallow because he has such a casual, optimistic attitude. There have been times when I was upset about something and I thought he should’ve been upset too. He was upset, he just doesn’t show it the same. But when something  _ really _ bothers him, it will show. And he won’t calm down until the problem is fixed.”

“Have you ever seen him cry?”

“I haven’t,” Kenjirou considered. “I think he’s been close once or twice, but no.”

“I hope you don’t have to. The past year, he’s been a lot happier in general and I think that trend will continue, but if he ever does get really emotional in front of you, just be patient with him, okay?”

“Of course. If it’s something that’s important enough to make him cry, I won’t let it go unaddressed. Even the little things. He’s not really all that good at hiding when he’s upset.”

“I see you’ve picked up on the little clues he leaves.” Yuuji’s mother smiled and rested her head on Kenjirou’s shoulder.

Kenjirou chuckled softly. “I think so. He gets really clingy when he’s upset. Won’t let go of my hand.”

Yuuji’s mother grinned. “And he does that thing where he has to have something in his hands to play with!”

“Yes, exactly! He just picks up whatever’s closest and fiddles with it. That’s how I know when something’s up. Though lately, I’ve figured out that problems get resolved quicker if I make myself that closest object that he can grab and hold onto.”

“Kenjirou?”

“Yes?”

“Please never let go of him.”

“I won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *angst* this is one of my fave hcs but it kills me...


	11. Yuuji

The lights were on, the conversation was light-hearted and fun, and Yuuji knew he could stay awake for hours like this. It might not result in a very aware version of himself come morning, but he was too excited to submit to sleep just yet.

Fortunately, Kenjirou’s mother knew all about his prefered early bedtime and shooed him back up to Kenjirou’s bedroom a little after 9:00.

As soon as he’d said goodnight, the aloneness pressed down on him again. There would only be two more nights alone, he knew, but that didn’t make it any better for the moment. He flopped on Kenjirou’s bed and looked around the room. It would be a little sad to leave this room for awhile. He felt like these four walls had become as much his room as his bedroom back home.

He’d tidied up this room countless times. Kenjirou always had good intentions about keeping his space neat and would go on cleaning sprees for hours, finding a place for everything that looked good. Then without fail, within a week, he would take stuff out and fail to put it back until the space looked just as messy as it had before.

Yuuji had always had the opposite problem. He knew how to keep up with the mess ever-threatening to explode out of his dresser drawers and bookshelves. His issue lay in that he could never possibly have enough space for everything. He had boxes filled with small mementos and random objects that always earned him raised eyebrow looks from Kenjirou when he was over. Everything he owned, though, was associated with some memory. Some dated back years and were just too important to get rid of. 

Now as Yuuji looked around Kenjirou’s room, it was almost bare of its usual comfortable clutter, the boxes against the wall containing everything that Yuuji was familiar with being scattered across the desk or floor. He stood up off the bed and approached one of the stacks of boxes. He opened one and drew out one of Kenjirou’s pullover jackets from Shiratorizawa. It smelled of Kenjirou. Yuuji wasted no time in putting it on.

It was a size smaller than the clothes he wore, like everything of Kenjirou’s generally was. While they were similar in height, Yuuji had a larger frame and was more muscular so most of Kenjirou’s clothes were tight on him. That never kept him from wearing the setter’s clothing. Yuuji dove under the blankets on Kenjirou’s bed, savoring the silence of the room.

There were a lot of memories in here that Yuuji would never let go of. Some of Yuuji’s darkest moments in the past year led him back up to this room where he could count on soft silence and quiet words spoken in the darkness. Where Yuuji lost his confidence, he found it again in this room. The first time he and Kenjirou had had sex had been in this bed. Right here in this bed, he’d spent countless nights holding tight to Kenjirou, prepared to hold him for the rest of their lives. Right here, with the curtains shut and the lights off, unable to see each other, all they could do was stick close and hold each other.

Yuuji liked a bit of light normally, but he’d never felt so comfortable in the pitch blackness than right here. He wasn’t sure how to encompass that feeling, but he wanted a way to take it with him. Realistically, he knew this feeling had nothing to do with the room he was occupying and everything to do with who he normally shared it with, but he still wanted something tangible. Yuuji stood up and unscrewed one of the light bulbs from the light fixture in the ceiling. It was still warm to the touch from its earlier use, but Yuuji held onto it in the darkness. If Kenjirou ever saw him with this, he’d laugh and call him sentimental, but Kenjirou didn’t need to know about it. This light was going into their new bedroom. When it was turned on, it would fill the space with warmth and the same joy it had in this room. When it was off, it would press the darkness back around Yuuji’s shoulders like an extra blanket and lock the doors on the hushed conversations that would fill the foreign midnight air with magic.

Lost in thought about what it would feel like in their new bedroom, Yuuji turned the light bulb over a few times in his hands. He drummed his fingers on the glass restlessly. He could think all he wanted and fiddle with as many small appliances as he could get his hands on, but the fact of the matter was that he was still Kenjirou-less for the night yet again. Yuuji sighed and pulled his phone off the nightstand.

 

**Me:** Kenjirou!

**KENJIROU♡:** What.

**Me:** Hi!!!

**KENJIROU♡:** Do you need something?

**Me:** Not reallyyy

**KENJIROU♡:** Can’t sleep?

**Me:** Bingo was his name-o

**KENJIROU♡:** Have you tried warm milk and counting sheep?

**Me:** What time of night does your sarcasm turn off anyway?

**KENJIROU♡:** It doesn’t. It’s a complimentary 24 hour service. Go to bed.

**Me:** Are you with my mom?

**KENJIROU♡:** Yes and she’s reading over my shoulder. Play nice.

**Me:** How nosy. C’mon mom.

**KENJIROU♡:** She says to go to bed.

**Me:** I’m lonelyyyyyy Kenjirouuuuu

**KENJIROU♡:** Do you want me to tell you a story?

**Me:** YES YES YES!!!!

**KENJIROU♡:** One day Yuuji fell asleep without making a scene. All of mankind rejoiced. The end.

**Me:** :(

**Me:** Kenjirou you’re not very nice

**Me:** You’re never going to land a boyfriend with that attitude

**KENJIROU♡:** Very funny. What do you want from me?

**Me:** Come over and play with my hair and sing to me and cuddle with me!

**KENJIROU♡:** Just put your phone away and take some deep breaths. Pull your focus onto one thing. Then you’ll fall asleep.

**Me:** What do I focus on?

**KENJIROU♡:** Whatever you want.

**Me:** The pretty view of the sun we’re going to have from our new window!

**KENJIROU♡:** Sure that’s fine. You good now?

**Me:** I think so! Thank you, Kenjirou!!!!

**KENJIROU♡:** Goodnight

**Me:** GOODNIGHT I LOVE YOUUUU

**Me:** Kenjirou

**Me:** Say i love you too

**Me:** Kenjirou

**Me:** Kenj

**Me:** Babe

**Me:** Hey loser

**Me:** Darling

**Me:** Love of my life

**Me:** Kenjirou

**KENJIROU♡:** ;)

**Me:** KE NJR RIUO

**KENJIROU♡:** Goodnight, Yuuji; I love you too.


	12. Kenjirou

“Is he okay?”

Kenjirou smirked. “Yeah, he’s going to bed.”

“You should too! It’s a busy day tomorrow moving! I meant to let you get some rest right away so sorry for keeping you up!”

Kenjirou looked at his boyfriend’s mother. “You aren’t keeping me up. It’s only 9:30.”

“Right! Sorry!”

Kenjirou couldn’t help smiling. He loved this family. “What’s the plan for tomorrow morning?”

“I think we’ll be fine if we’re up to the apartment by 8:00. Is that too early?”

“Not at all. Yuuji will be up at 5 or something gross like that anyway. If you wouldn’t mind dropping me back off at my parents’ house around 7 and get Yuuji to finish packing his stuff, then we’ll go up separately like that. Good plan?”

“Sounds good. See you in the morning then, Kenjirou.”

“Goodnight.”

 

Kenjirou slipped back into Yuuji’s bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. The light from streetlamps outside streamed in and threw shadows around the room. Kenjirou flicked the light off and looked around. Empty boxes littered the floor and all of Yuuji’s belongings still remained where they’d been a week ago. If there was anyone who could pack up all of his belongings in a half hour in the morning, it was Yuuji. But that didn’t necessarily mean that Kenjirou trusted him to do it.

A stereo sat on the dresser and Kenjirou flicked it on, letting it play Yuuji’s favorite station quietly. There was almost always music on in this room. Kenjirou hadn’t been one to lose himself in catchy melodies before, but Yuuji had made true silence a foreign concept to him.

Humming softly to songs he knew, Kenjirou knelt on the floor and began transferring Yuuji’s clothing into one box, the notebooks and half-finished projects from his desk into another.

The white walls of the bedroom had never seemed dull to Kenjirou before as they were always covered with posters and thumbtacked pictures, but as he slowly deconstructed the room, it began to feel colder. It wasn’t the same room anymore without all of the nonsense taped to the walls and the overflowing mess of paper and photographs spilling off of every surface.

The countless random objects that Yuuji held onto for the sake of memories were loaded into boxes now too. The closet seemed dark and alien without the stash of mementos peeking out. There were several boxes of pictures that Kenjirou had a harder time loading into the large moving boxes. He stopped and flipped through the prints, giving the photos he’d seen before another cursory glance.

Even before Yuuji had decided to pursue photography, he’d loved capturing moments. And he was good at it too. Photos Kenjirou found from years ago still held the exact essence and mood of the moment as he knew Yuuji was feeling it. His true talent lay in capturing emotions and making his audience see things as he wanted them to.

As the photos Kenjirou looked through became more recent, he saw a decline in the frequency of pictures as Yuuji had started photographing on the go using his phone more than an actual camera. The photos that were printed were from special occasions where Yuuji had felt the need to whip out something more heavy duty than his iPhone. There were nature pictures, images from parties and an unholy amount of photos of Kenjirou.

Yuuji seemed to think that every moment was worth saving and while Kenjirou didn’t always like seeing himself in such excess, he was almost pleased when Yuuji stole snapshots of him. Somehow the angles were always flattering and he had seen a new side of magazine models. It might just be that they were ordinary people after all. It was just the way that they were captured that created the magic.

After packing the boxes of photos, Kenjirou picked Yuuji’s camera off the desk. Kenjirou was pretty sure Yuuji was in the middle of a project and the camera would probably be full. He didn’t always get to see every single picture that Yuuji took since he usually filtered out the ones he didn’t like before showing any to Kenjirou for a second opinion. Fewer still would actually be printed. Kenjirou flopped on his back on Yuuji’s bed, holding the camera above his face and scrolled through the camera roll.

It didn’t take more than a second for Kenjirou to realize that this wasn’t Yuuji’s work camera. Logically, Yuuji had probably left it at the office since he wouldn’t have time to get much done over the weekend. What clued Kenjirou in first was the fact that the left scroll arrow button was broken as it had been for a while. Kenjirou had been planning on buying Yuuji a new personal camera once they got settled in into their new life. There was nothing wrong with the camera, but newer models had come out since this one and Yuuji watched camera models like most people waited for newer smartphones. If Kenjirou could get him a higher quality model, he would.

Camera technobabble aside, Yuuji still always managed to make the best of what he did have. That much was always clear when Kenjirou looked at his photos. There were a lot of him, of course; Yuuji loved capturing the shy smiles and the eyes closed, mouth open laughter that only happened when the two of them were alone. There were a few images of Yuuji that made Kenjirou smile in the darkness. Even with the front-facing camera on his phone, Kenjirou never liked taking selfies because they never looked decent. But Yuuji could pull off self-photos with a real camera no problem. As time went on, it was becoming harder and harder for Kenjirou to consider that Yuuji  _ wasn’t _ magic.

A few more pictures laid out the weekend trip they’d taken right after graduation. They drove a few hours out of the city to a quiet mountain range with scenic lakes and trees for miles. The hotel they’d stayed in was nearly empty and the countryside had been even more so. They’d spent two days hiking, sitting around, exploring, and just being together. There were many more photos of the excursion on Yuuji’s phone, but a few stills had been captured with the higher quality lens of this camera. Kenjirou smiled as he found the one of Yuuji standing on the very edge of a cliff. He’d thrust the camera into Kenjirou’s hands so he couldn’t chase after and try to ruin the risky fun.

Kenjirou’s heart had been racing at how close his boyfriend was to the precipice, but he took a couple pictures anyway to remember the moment.

There were several photos of sunrises that Yuuji had captured while there. Kenjirou had half-woken up for one of them, but Yuuji was much more aware in the mornings to savor the shifting colors in the sky as the sun rose.

Having to drive back at the end of the weekend, Yuuji had practically lain across the front seat with his head in Kenjirou’s lap as usual and asked repeatedly if they could have more adventures like this in the future.

Trying to focus on driving as well as Yuuji shifting and trying to hang off him, Kenjirou had promised that once they lived together, they could have adventures whenever they wanted.

He knew it wouldn’t be very good, but at the moment, he didn’t really care. Kenjirou switched the camera out of preview mode, flipped the flash on, and turned it around, throwing up a lazy “I love you” hand signal before snapping a picture and blinding himself.

Blinking spots away from his eyes, Kenjirou switched the camera off and stared at the ceiling. This was finally happening. Every day would be an adventure from now on. He didn’t bother changing into pajamas of any sort, just kicked his jeans off and drew the blankets around him, drifting off with anticipation coursing through him.


	13. Yuuji

The sun hadn’t come up over the horizon yet, but the sky was beginning to turn light gray and that was good enough for Yuuji.

He parked Kenjirou’s car on the curb and unlocked the door to his own house. It was dead silent, but Yuuji was used to that, not a stranger to being the only one awake before 6 am. He’d make some breakfast shortly, but he needed to do some packing. It probably wasn’t his best decision to procrastinate packing up all of his belongings, but he knew he could pull it off. He wasn’t especially sure if he could do it without waking his boyfriend, but a soft, sleepy, morning-Kenjirou would be a welcome addition to any packing spree.

When Yuuji softly pushed open his bedroom door, he was caught a little off guard. The assortment of boxes was filled and neatly lined up against the wall. Yuuji flipped on a small, dim lamp, watching for any changes in Kenjirou’s neutral, sleeping expression. The deep sleeper didn’t stir so Yuuji moved around freely. All the important mementos from his closet had been moved and Yuuji immediately smiled. Kenjirou occasionally thought that keeping so much junk was dumb, but he definitely knew how important it was to Yuuji. This was also the green light Yuuji had been looking for permission to clutter up their new apartment with his personal relics.

Inspecting the room further, Yuuji found that everything he’d been planning on taking with was already packed. He smirked to himself. Leave it to Kenjirou to pack for him. One out of place item caught Yuuji’s eye and he approached the bedside table to pick up his camera. Had Kenjirou been looking through pictures last night? There were many more photos that Yuuji had taken with his phone and put on the cloud so in theory, Kenjirou could’ve just looked at those. Then again, Yuuji did know that Kenjirou had a certain fascination with Yuuji’s bigger and better cameras. It was the attention to detail that kept Kenjirou entranced with the higher quality pictures and what made him one of the best reviewers Yuuji had.

Yuuji flipped through his pictures again, smiling as he remembered all the fun times they always had together. The last photo on the camera roll split Yuuji’s face into a full grin. He immediately knew that it was from last night and that Kenjirou had taken a selfie with his camera, a rare but much appreciated gesture. The lighting was off, of course, but that did nothing to detract from the overall cuteness of the picture.

Yuuji frowned again as he glanced at the timestamp on the photo, tagging it as taken at 2:34 am.

“Kenjirou,” Yuuji murmured, tenderly flicking a lock of his boyfriend’s hair out of his closed eyes. “What were you doing up at 2:30? That’s not good for you. When I get you to myself every night, the first thing I’m fixing is your bedtime.”

Glancing at the clock now, Yuuji noted it was only 6:00. Originally, he’d been planning on jumping on top of Kenjirou to wake him up, but not when he was only running on three and a half hours of sleep.

Yuuji tiptoed out of the room and showered quickly. As quietly as he could manage, he carried all of his carefully-packed boxes out of the room and downstairs.

“Yuuji?”

Yuuji whirled around at the unexpected voice to find his mother at the foot of the stairs. He grinned and ran forward to hug her tightly. “Good morning! You’re up early!”

“I was going to make breakfast.”

“I can do that. How was having Kenjirou stay with you for two nights?”

“You take good care of that man, Yuuji. You’ll never find someone as good as him again in your life.”

“I know, mom. I’m not planning on letting him out of arm’s reach again for the rest of my life.”

“I’m going to miss you both a lot.”

“We won’t be out of your hair for good, trust me. I think Kenjirou is addicted to the way you make french toast.”

“Is that why he’s always silently watching me in the kitchen?”

Yuuji laughed. “He can’t figure out how you do it that’s better than we can ever manage.”

“I’ll make enough french toast to feed ten if you two will come back more often.”

“Mom, we’re only an hour away. We’ll be here plenty.”

“Good. I already miss hearing whispers and laughing down the hallway for hours into the night.”

Yuuji smirked. “Speaking of, I might make Kenjirou’s parents grab all of his stuff and drive up to the apartment alone and he can ride with us. He went to bed just before 3 am last night and I don’t want him to have to drive.”

“What was he doing at 3 am!?”

“Packing all of my stuff... Because I didn’t...”

“Yuuji, I didn’t raise you to be a procrastinator! Why would you make Kenjirou do all the work for you!”

“I was planning on doing it this morning! I didn’t tell him to do anything! He’s just too good for words!”

“You let that boy sleep in. Don’t go bothering him this morning until it’s time to leave, you got that?”

“Mom, I wasn’t planning on waking him up! That’s why I’m down here instead of up there cuddling him to death.”

“Yeah, well, you  _ will _ be the death of him so you just better watch yourself. Don’t you go sleep-depriving my future son-in-law.”

Yuuji stifled a laugh. “Oh trust me, I’m going to make eight hours of sleep a rule in our house. He usually does fine even with little sleep, but it’s still not good for him. Trust me, I’m going to take good care of him.”

 

After grabbing some fruit for a quick breakfast, Yuuji walked quietly back upstairs and slipped into his bedroom. Kenjirou was in exactly the same position as when Yuuji had left the first time.

Yuuji carefully rolled the blankets off him and slid his arms under Kenjirou’s back and legs, lifting him up without waking him.

Carrying him downstairs, Yuuji’s mother raised an eyebrow at Kenjirou’s lack of pants, though Yuuji just shrugged and stepped into the early morning sunshine. He placed Kenjirou in the passenger seat of the car and took a step back when Kenjirou started moving.

“...Yuuji....?” Kenjirou mumbled, blinking his eyes open.

“Hey, baby.” Yuuji pressed a quick kiss to Kenjirou’s forehead. “We’re driving together, okay? I just need to finish loading my stuff into the back if that’s okay. Your parents are going to bring your stuff up.”

Kenjirou regained awareness pretty quickly. “Why am I not wearing pants?”

Yuuji smirked. “I don’t know. Why’d you take them off last night?”

Kenjirou started to get out of the car. “Why didn’t you just wake me up like a normal person? I need to go back to my house and take my own stuff.”

“Stay. Just stay. You didn’t sleep a lot last night so I don’t want you to have to drive by yourself.”

“I won’t, calm down. I was going to leave my car at my parents’ house and ride with them since we’re not staying up there until tomorrow night anyway. There’s no use taking three vehicles.”

Yuuji supposed that did make the most sense. Kenjirou was much better at planning these kinds of things.

“Okay fine. Leave me alone then. Glad you haven’t missed me.”

Kenjirou rolled his eyes. “Oh, shut up. I was only up until 3 because I missed you.”

Inside, Yuuji was glowing. He managed to keep his cool though. “May I drive you home at least?”

“That makes even less sense. You have to get back here somehow. I’m fine, just let me go. I’ll see you in an hour when we get to the apartment.”

Yuuji was out of half-decent excuses to ride with Kenjirou. “Okay! I’ll see you up there then!”

“Hey, go get me pants. You can’t just leave me.”

Yuuji smirked. “I want to ride with you. You want your pants. Sound like a fair deal?”

“No. Stop this. Pants.”

Yuuji smiled and sprinted inside, returning seconds later with a pair of his own sweatpants.

“I meant  _ my _ pants, Yuuji,” Kenjirou glared from the driver seat that he’d moved to.

“Well, that’s just too bad, isn’t it.” Yuuji chucked the wad of fabric at Kenjirou’s face. “See you in an hour. Drive safe.”

“See you soon. You drive safe too. You sure you know how to get there?”

“Kenjirou, I’m fine. When have I ever not known where I was going?”

“You don’t want me to answer that. Now go finish packing up.”

Yuuji waved before disappearing back inside.


	14. Kenjirou

Kenjirou was vaguely tired, but he made it home safely as he knew he would. If he was actually in danger, Yuuji never would’ve let him go. That was one thing Kenjirou had seen over the past year.

He was attacked by his mother almost immediately as he stepped through the front door.

“I thought you were driving with Yuuji! Coming home unannounced better not become a habit of yours!”

Kenjirou rolled his eyes. “Yuuji was just overreacting. I got plenty of sleep last night and I don’t need to ride with him.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Your father or I can drive as long as you tell us where to go.”

“I’m fine. Hey, mom?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t need to worry so much about me. I know how to take care of myself. And I’ll come home if I need anything from you.”

The woman froze, looking her son in the eye for a minute before hugging him. “I know. I know you can take care of yourself. And you have Yuuji too. I know you guys are fine alone. If you need anything though, just call. Even if it’s just $20 you need.”

“We already have that set up so we can start paying you back. We’re formally hired in a few months; that’s been confirmed by how well we’re both doing. First paycheck will be plenty, it looks like. And the more we work, the better off we’ll be. I can quit the evening job and all that.”

“Still! I’m happy to loan you some! And don’t let Yuuji support you. Do your fair share!”

“Mom, I’m going to be making more than Yuuji...”

“Nuh-uh! His photographs are amazing!”

“Oh, thanks. I’m glad you appreciate my writing.” Kenjirou rolled his eyes. “I’m ready when you are though. Where’s dad?”

“Just upstairs. I’ll go get him. Your stuff is already in the car.”

Kenjirou hugged his mother again before heading out to the car. All of his boxes were indeed in the trunk already so he climbed into the driver’s seat as his parents joined him.

“Dad gets shotgun,” he called, making his mother frown slightly.

Kenjirou’s father climbed into the passenger seat, nodding to him with a faintly amused look on his face.

The drive was mostly quiet with a few broken conversations about how staying at the Terushima house had been.

As soon as they pulled in, Kenjirou found a visitor standing outside his door.

He got out of the car to be wrapped in a crushing hug.

He stifled a smile in his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Calm down, it’s been all of one hour since I left your house.”

“Kenjirou, look!” Yuuji bounced up and down. “This is  _ ours _ !”

Kenjirou gazed at the tall building, reaching into his pocket and dropping one of two silver keys into Yuuji’s hand. “ You taking us up?”

Yuuji grabbed Kenjirou’s hand and yanked him toward the door.

Their apartment was on the second floor and Yuuji took the stairs two at a time. Kenjirou smiled at how excited he was, despite having come here twice already to check the place out.

Yuuji unlocked the door and pulled Kenjirou in after him.

The place was fairly small with a small galley-style kitchen, a sitting area, a bathroom and a bedroom. The walls were white and the light tan carpet was completely bare. The space would look smaller and less stark once they had moved all of their belongs, but for now it just felt like a blank slate.

Yuuji placed his hands lightly on Kenjirou’s hips and led him into the apartment. “Yours and mine...”

Kenjirou nodded slowly, looking around. “Are you happy?”

Yuuji looked down at him. “What do you mean?”

“Are you happy. With our decision, with this place, with moving, with our future, to be here with me.”

Yuuji moved to pick Kenjirou up and Kenjirou automatically looped his arms around Yuuji’s neck as his feet left the floor.

“This is the point where I’d pick you up and throw you onto our couch and then come lay on top of you so you couldn’t move and kiss you over and over so you’d laugh until you couldn’t breathe and—”

Kenjirou laughed and pulled Yuuji in for a deep kiss.

A hand on Yuuji’s shoulder made him jump slightly as the kiss was broken. At the sight of Kenjirou’s father standing behind him, Yuuji let Kenjirou gently back down to the floor and cleared his throat. “Alright. So. Moving stuff in, yeah?”

 

Kenjirou snickered and followed Yuuji back downstairs.

Other furniture plans were in order, but for now, the two claimed a small blue loveseat that use to sit unused in the Shirabus’ basement. A couple side tables had come from a neighbor’s garage sale a month ago and Kenjirou had tracked down a second-hand TV at a good price from someone in town.

The bedroom was furnished with a simple, wooden bed frame and double mattress, a couple more small tables, and a large dresser.

By the end of the day, all of the large furniture was safely moved in and a few personal belongings had been scattered in their new homes.

“That didn’t take as long as I thought it would,” Kenjirou commented, glancing at his phone to note it was only a bit past 6:00 pm.

“I thought we’d still be working on the big stuff tomorrow as well.” Yuuji ran a hand through his hair. “Technically, we could stay here tonight...”

Kenjirou looked at him. “What are you thinking?”

“I want to stay here with you. But I also want to stay at my mom’s for one more night.”

“Take the time with your mom. She’ll be glad to have you instead of me for once.”

“Are you sure? Because we can stay here if you want to!”

“No, I’m sure. I want to spend the evening with my parents as well.”

“Okay. Let’s go then, I guess.”

Hand in hand, they walked back downstairs where their parents were all chatting in the parking lot.

“Hey, we’re staying at home one more night if that’s okay,” Kenjirou said.

Yuuji’s mother smiled immediately. “Good! One more night!”

Kenjirou looked over at Yuuji. “Can we all go out for dinner? We can buy since our parents were so kind to help us move.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! If anything, we’ll pay for you guys. You’re still our children!” Yuuji’s mother exclaimed.

“We do need to figure out what we have around here,” Yuuji said happily. “This is as good an opportunity as any!”

“Okay. You want to lead the way? You’ve got a better eye for things like this.”

“Sure! Follow me!”

Kenjirou smiled and ushered his parents back into the car, pulling out and driving after Yuuji.

 

Kenjirou smiled as he saw the restaurant Yuuji was pulling into. The sign was colorful and the parking lot was full of cars.

“Do you know this place?” Kenjirou asked, stepping out into the darkening evening.

“Nope!” Yuuji responded, pulling him into a hug. “It just looked cool! Do you want to keep looking?”

“No, this looks great. That’s why I asked you to find a place. You have a sixth sense for good food.”

Yuuji beamed and held Kenjirou against his side as he walked into the diner, their parents in tow.


	15. Yuuji

Yuuji felt himself nodding off in the passenger seat as his mother drove home. They’d left the restaurant a little after 9:30 so it was after 10 by the time they pulled in.

“Thanks for driving, mom,” Yuuji mumbled, hauling himself out of the car.

She smiled and placed her hand on her son’s back, urging him toward the stairs. “Go get some rest, honey. It’s been a long day.”

“I miss Kenjirou.”

“It’s been an hour since you last saw him.”

Yuuji knew he should probably shut up before he rambled for hours, but his mind had already wandered twenty minutes across the town to where his boyfriend was. “I miss being with him at night. I liked staying at his house with his parents, but I miss him.”

“Well, you get tomorrow and then the rest of your life if you so choose.”

Yuuji brightened. “That’s right. I don’t have to try and focus on something else anymore. I’ll always have him. Good. I love him.”

“I know you do. Get some rest. We can talk in the morning.”

“Are you going to be up?”

“What time is Kenjirou coming to pick you up?”

“He said 8. But I stole his phone and turned off his alarm. So it’ll probably be later.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because he needs sleep. It’s a Sunday and all we have to do is unpack. It’ll be fine if he sleeps in a little.”

“You know what he needs, don’t you.”

Yuuji yawned loudly. “I think so. And he knows exactly what I need. It works. Mom, I’m kind of scared sometimes.”

“Of what?”

“Can we talk now?”

“Are you sure? You’ve had an awful long day already.”

“I need to get it off my chest.”

“Okay. What’s on your mind.”

“I don’t think he would lie to me and I think he really did want to move in together but that can’t stop me from being afraid that he doesn’t actually want to. I feel like I’ve already rushed him way too much. He’s never even been in a relationship before. The first one is always crazy and I’m worried that he’s only going along with this because he’s overwhelmed. We started slowly, but picked up the pace a lot. I feel like we’ve been dating for years, when really it’s only been 10 months.”

“That’s 9 months longer than the next longest relationship you’ve ever had. He’s special.”

“I know he is. There’s no one I’ve ever loved more. But I’m just worried that we moved too fast. What if he’s overwhelmed.”

“Kenjirou thinks a lot. He doesn’t do things he doesn’t want to. I think he was ready for whatever you guys did. And I think he was ready for this too.”

“You think? I really hope he wants this as much as I do...”

“Yuuji, I’ve spent the last two nights talking to him and I don’t think there’s anything that he would rather do. I was in awe. He knows you so well. He’s picked up on so many little quirks of yours and he pays so much attention. At one point he was worried too that you weren’t really committed. But when I talked to him this week, he’s not even worried anymore. He trusts you to keep loving him. You should trust him too.”

“What if I make mistakes?”

“I think you’d have to make more than a couple mistakes to get that boy to fall out of love with you. You should hear him talk.”

“Oh, I’ve gotten him to talk. He has no filter in the mornings. If you can catch him before 7 am, you can get anything out of him. And I’ve given him my spiel too. I think we both know how much we mean to each other. This is just a big step and I can’t help being nervous.”

“You’ll do fine. Keep him safe and keep yourself safe. Everything will work out. You’re just excited and nervous and that’s okay. Put on your brave face though. You’re confident with everything involving him.”

“I am...” Yuuji rubbed his eyes. “I’m ready. He’s ready. Goodnight.”

“I’ll see you in the morning. If you need to leave, come wake me up.”

“Okay, I will...”


	16. Kenjirou

"So, what are you thinking?"

Kenjirou looked over at his father as he shoved his shoes against the wall when they got home from the restaurant. "What do you mean?"

"About everything, Moving away. Your job. The future."

“Oh.” Kenjirou felt the beginning of a long discussion begin. He sat down in the living room and waited for both of his parents to sit across from him. "I mean, I'm excited. I'm glad to be getting out my own and being more independent and being able to control my own life as I want to. And obviously, there's no one I could possibly do that with other than Yuuji."

"Are you still happy with decision to move in with him?"

Some might have found the questions offensive, but Kenjirou knew his father well enough to understand he wasn’t doubting his son’s choices. He just wanted to be sure Kenjirou was confident in what he was doing. "Of course. I don't ever intend to not live with him again. I love him."

"He seems to spend a lot of time trying to impress me. I don't know how much of it is genuine."

Kenjirou raised an eyebrow. "Everything about Yuuji is genuine. Genuine is his middle name. I mean, he is trying to impress you; he wants you to like him and feel confident about letting us be together. He never knew his own father and he's never been in a relationship like this where he really got to know his partner's parents. He sees you as a father he never had.”

“Are you worried that this relationship of his is going to be over as quick as the others he's been in? Crushes come and go.”

“This isn't a crush. He doesn't believe so either. He's had crushes before and he's dated plenty, but he's told me that what we have is different than what he's used to."

"And you believe what he told you?"

"I believe what he's  _ shown _ me. His actions speak for that and I know how I feel. I trust him completely. I've given my heart and my body to him and I've never once regretted it. Do you have problems with him?"

"None. I just wanted to make sure that you knew exactly what you're thinking. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle, you lose track."

"When have I ever been one to lose track?"

"When you're with him."

"Being with him sets me free. I feel like I'm living and not just surviving for once. But that doesn't mean that I don't think about what I've getting myself into. I was plenty skeptical about getting into a relationship and I've put a lot of objective thought into moving in with him. Do you have reservations?"

"I do not. While he is reckless, I trust you to be smart and I trust him to keep you safe."

"I'm glad that you feel sure as well. I don't think I've ever been so confident about a decision. I don't think I've ever felt so sure of everything with anyone else."

"You will have fun with him. I know that for sure. You are both hard workers, but I have never seen someone make you laugh as often as he does. That was why I ultimately allowed your relationship to happen."

"I understand. Thank you, dad. You're sure there’s nothing you need to talk to me about before I leave your house for a while?”

The man paused. "You will go far, Kenjirou. Yuuji as well. You make each other better. I wish you both luck."

Kenjirou nodded. "Thank you. I will do my best to make you proud."

Kenjirou glanced over at his mother. "Do you trust me yet?"

The woman tilted her head. "Trust you?"

"You're always trying to take care of me and keep me safe and shelter me. I graduated, I found a solid job, I'm guaranteed a better one in three months when Yuuji and I are allowed to be officially hired by our magazine. We found an apartment close to home, within a good price range and we figured out everything we need to do to get it and cover costs and pay you and Yuuji's mom back for the money you're loaning us. We're steps away from being completely self-sufficient. Have I convinced you yet?"

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes. "Kenjirou, I trust you. That was never the issue. You were such an independent child. You never wanted to play with other kids because you were years ahead of them. You always were. You're much more prepared for life on your own than most people your age. I've never tried to protect you because I didn't trust you. I want the best for you and I could never bear to see you get hurt. You're my son. I have to be protective because you're all I have. I've always feared that you'd have trouble forming deep connections with people and I blame your father and I for moving you around so much as a kid. When you're never at a school for more than a year, it's hard to make good friends. I thought that was going to be your life. I see now how wrong I was. You just needed some extra time. When you came home and told me that someone had asked you out, I didn't know what to think, but I definitely didn't think that you had said yes. I was nervous when you didn't bring it up again for a while. And then you brought Yuuji home with you for dinner on a Saturday night. I was surprised, but watching the way you looked at him, even back then, I trusted him. And I trusted that you had made a good decision. I'm proud of you, Kenjirou. That will never not be true, and it's never been more true than in this moment."

Kenjirou stood up to hug both of his parents. “Thank you for understanding and for approving this. I’m really excited. I’ll see you both in the morning, I guess, but I’m leaving about 8.”

“We’ll see you then,” Kenjirou’s father nodded. “Have a good sleep.”

Kenjirou was tired from the busy day, but flopping on his own bed for the first time in a few days brought more thoughts to the front of his mind and he allowed himself to get lost in heavy thinking for a while before drifting off.


	17. Yuuji

“Mom,” Yuuji whispered.

The woman jerked awake.

“I’m heading out.”

She sat up at once in bed. “What time is it?”

“8:00.”

“Is Kenjirou here?”

“No, remember, I wanted him to sleep. I’m going to walk over there though.”

Yuuji’s mother reached forward to bury her face in her son’s shoulder. “Keep yourself safe. Think before you act and before you speak. Be respectful to your elders. Make sure you're eating healthy and eating enough. If funds are tight, come to me. Don't settle while you wait for things to even out. Make sure Kenjirou eats plenty. And make sure he sleeps enough. Be careful with him."

"Mom. I know. I know how to life. And don't worry about Kenjirou either. I'll make sure he's well taken care of. He's not fragile and he knows how to take care of himself too."

"I meant don't hurt him. I know what you two get up to when I'm not home."

"Mom, I've seen him in pain before. There is nothing anyone can do that would convince me to hurt him ever, much less when we're having sex. We love other, mom. Now let me go. Can we get together on Wednesday for dinner? I'm going to get homesick."

The woman brightened. "Of course! What would you like me to make?"

Yuuji laughed. "We'll decide that later. I'll text you tonight or something. Bye, mom."

"Bye…"

Yuuji walked with her to the front door and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

 

The walk didn’t take more than a half an hour since Yuuji was moving so quickly. He couldn’t wait to begin this next chapter of him life. He quietly let himself into the Shirabu house, waving to both the adults. “Morning!”

“Wasn’t Kenjirou going to come pick you up about now?”

“I turned off his phone alarm last night so he would sleep in. I know he went to bed late last night and I didn’t want him to be pressured into waking up early for this. I’ll drive. He can nap in the front seat if he wants.”

“Are you sure you don’t need anymore help at the apartment?” Kenjirou’s father offered.

“I think we’ll be fine. Thank you though. We’ll be here again soon though. It’s not that easy to get rid of us.”

“Oh, I know it,” Kenjirou’s mother teased. “We’ll look forward to your next visit. Let me know in advance and I’ll plan something good.”

“Thanks. Here, let me go get Kenjirou so you can say bye.”

Yuuji giggled and crept into Kenjirou's bedroom, sliding himself onto the bed and under the covers to curl his arms around Kenjirou.

Kenjirou groaned and shifted into the embrace.

“Good morning,” Yuuji said quietly, nuzzling into Kenjirou's neck.

Kenjirou made some more noise and blinked. “What're you...”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mhm...”

“Are you ready to go? I can drive and you can sleep if you’re still tired.”

“What time is it?”

“About 8:30.”

Kenjirou sat up. “Shit. Yuuji we have to—”

“Shh, it's okay.” Yuuji smiled and pushed Kenjirou back onto the bed. “Relax. Do you want to sleep in the car?”

“Why didn't I wake up...”

“I turned your alarm off so you could sleep in!”

“...Why.”

Yuuji laughed and kissed Kenjirou’s forehead. “I wanted to come wake you up.”

Kenjirou ran his hands over his face and through his hair. “Well, you did it. Congrats.”

“You ready to hit the road?” Yuuji pulled Kenjirou into his lap to hold him tightly.

Kenjirou took a few slow breaths in that position before looking up at Yuuji. “You said you were okay with driving up there?”

“Of course. You okay?”

“Yeah, just. Just tired and I don’t really feel like waking up right now.”

Yuuji helped Kenjirou off the bed, holding onto his hips to steady him as sleepiness threatened to topple him back onto the bed.

“Can I just carry you?” Yuuji smirked, watching Kenjirou struggle to gain full consciousness.

“I’m fine,” Kenjirou snapped opening the door.

Yuuji followed him out but moved immediately to the front door as Kenjirou spoke softly to his parents for a few minutes.

Finally they separated with a last hug and Kenjirou put his hand on the front door.

“You ready?” Yuuji asked.

“Yeah,” Kenjirou said quietly, looking away.

Yuuji reached down and tilted Kenjirou’s chin so they faced each other. Kenjirou’s eyes sparkled with tears but he blinked them away quickly.

“We don’t have to leave right now,” Yuuji whispered. “You can spend more time with your parents.”

“No, I’m ready.” Kenjirou opened the door, waving over his shoulder.

Yuuji smiled at Kenjirou’s parents, mouthing “thank you” before following Kenjirou outside. Yuuji immediately grabbed Kenjirou and picked him up.

Kenjirou made a quiet noise of surprise before settling back in Yuuji’s arms against his chest.

Yuuji placed Kenjirou carefully in the passenger seat of the car before throwing himself into the driver’s seat.

“So? What are you thinking about?” Yuuji asked as he pulled away from the curb.

“I don’t know. A lot of things.”

“Where do you want to go for breakfast?”

“I don’t need breakfast.”

“Yes you do! We have a busy day! We’re going to need to run to a store anyway since there’s nothing in the fridge. You want to do that?”

“Sure.”


	18. Together

Lying awake in bed that night, Kenjirou rolled onto his side to look Yuuji in the eye.

Yuuji smiled softly, his eyes already starting to close.

Kenjirou lost the battle of keeping a smile off his own face and he ran his hand over Yuuji’s cheek, trailing his fingers through his damp hair. They’d spent the day finishing the unpacking process, placing their personal belongings in their new homes in cabinets, on bookshelves and hanging in their shared closet. When everything was more or less in place, they’d taken a shower for the first time in their own shower. It was smaller than the one in Kenjirou’s parents’ home but bigger than that of Yuuji’s mother’s house so it was perfectly cozy. With the steam still fogging up the mirror, they both practically fell into bed.

Kenjirou started to change into more comfortable pants, but Yuuji pulled him away from the dresser and pushed him onto the bed.

Kenjirou smiled up at him. “Okay, fine.”

Yuuji ran his hands over the soft skin of Kenjirou’s legs, laying down and pulling Kenjirou’s body to fit against his.

“Ready to get back to the daily grind tomorrow?” Kenjirou asked.

Yuuji nodded. “We’re closer to work now and we don’t have to debate whose house we’re going to when we’re done for the night!”

Kenjirou grinned. “That’s right. We’ve got one place that’s all our own now. You still happy with this?”

“For sure! Kenjirou, the past couple nights, I’ve really missed you!”

Kenjirou closed his eyes and smiled as he was clutched tighter again Yuuji’s body. “You regretting that little plan?”

“In some ways,” Yuuji admitted. “It was really hard to sleep without you next to me.”

“Yeah, I had the same problem.”

“You did?” Yuuji raised an eyebrow. “You can sleep anywhere.”

“It was... too quiet. Too quiet, too dark, too still.”

“What? You love that. You always hate that I move you around in the night.”

Kenjirou looked away. “I do hate that. I always end up upside down or suffocating in your shirt or on the floor or something.”

Yuuji snickered. “Yeah, but you keep coming back. So it must be fine.”

Kenjirou smacked Yuuji lightly. “Don’t push your luck.”

“Or what, you’ll sleep on the couch?”

“No, I’ll make  _ you _ sleep on the couch.”

“Nah, you wouldn’t ever be able to do that. You love me too much.”

“No I don’t. Get away from me.” Kenjirou scooted away.

Yuuji laughed and grabbed Kenjirou around the legs.

Kenjirou squirmed away, laughing and slapping at Yuuji’s chest.

Yuuji locked his arms around Kenjirou and held him tightly. “C’mon, Kenjirou, say it!”

Kenjirou buried his face in Yuuji’s t-shirt. “I love you.”

Yuuji pulled Kenjirou onto his chest. “I love you too.”

“I’m going to sleep  _ so _ well tonight,” Kenjirou said happily, breathing in the familiar scent of his boyfriend.

“Good. We have to work in the morning. Sorry that you had a rough time at my mom’s.”

“It wasn’t that. I had a good time. I hope my parents weren’t too insufferable.”

“Oh, I was having a ball spending time with your parents alone. Your mom cheats at cards almost as much as you do.”

“First of all, it’s not cheating, it’s strategy. Second of all, where do you think I learned my  _ strategies _ ?”

“You are your parents’ son, I suppose,” Yuuji whispered. “You’re a lot like them in a lot of ways. Pretty sure you took all of their best traits for yourself though.”

“I could say the same for you.” Kenjirou smiled. “Both your parents.”

Yuuji’s face darkened. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Your mom and I talked for a bit about your dad. He was a good guy. He just couldn’t find happiness in one place. That didn’t make him a bad person though. You’re a lot like him too I think.”

“I don’t want to be like him. I don’t leave people I love.”

“I didn’t say you were exactly like him. You’re the most loyal person I know. But you’re also brave and adventurous and you can’t stay still and you can step into a room and everyone loves you. And that’s just like him.”

Tears sparkled in Yuuji’s eyes and he shoved his face into Kenjirou’s shoulder. “I will never leave you. I promise.”

“I know you won’t. I’ve never worried about that for an instant and I’ll give my whole self to you to show that.”

Yuuji smiled and put his head against Kenjirou’s chest, feeling the soft beating of his heart. “You don’t have to. I’d never ask for that.”

What do you mean?” Kenjirou sifted his hands through Yuuji’s hair.

“You’re unique and independent and you don’t listen to authority. No matter what anyone says, you don’t have to fix that. That’s what I love about you. Maybe you have a tendency to cause problems from time to time. So do I. But I never want you to give up who you are to be with me. I love  _ you _ . You with your logic and your systems and your refusal to let the world sway you. You’re stubborn and you follow your own path and that’s beautiful. I love you for it.”

“My mom told you that.” Kenjirou felt a single tear roll down his face. “I was always creating disasters to keep myself in my own perfect world and she always had to protect me from that. I needed her to get me out into the world or I’d never make friends.”

“She stopped being able to guide your path as much when you enrolled in a boarding school,” Yuuji reminded. “And look at how many friends you made at Shiratorizawa. Look at where you are now. All by yourself.”

“With your help.”

“But it was inside you all along. I helped but you have been you from day one. You have to grow and flourish on your own, but I’ll be here next to you the whole way.”

“While you grow and flourish on  _ your _ own.”

“Exactly.” Yuuji grinned. “Mutual growing and flourishing. It’s going to be a great life, Kenjirou. Not everything is going to go smoothly 100% of the time, but that’s okay. We didn’t ask for easy—”

“We asked for together,” Kenjirou finished. “And we have that.”

“Then together it’ll be. And after the last three nights, I’m ready to never spend another night alone as long as I live.”

“This is the last time I listen to one of your crazy ideas if it means having to stay separate ever again.”

“It was good for us though, right?”

“I think so. I learned a lot and I feel closer to your mom and I think you feel the same?”

“I do. And it just makes me love you more.”

“Me too. I’m ready for home to be wherever you are. And right now, that means right here.”

“Kenjirou?”

“Yeah?”

“Welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH!!!! So there is that! Thank you for reading if you stuck with this through the unnecessarily long haul lmao. This was just really fun and relaxing to write and it was pretty self-indulgent. Clearly. But yeah, hope it was enjoyable and thank you!  
> (hbd Kenjirou !!!!!!!!!)


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